In Your Arms
by Irhaboggles
Summary: Glinda has finally defected away from the Wizard and to Elphaba. Sadly, the choice she makes is not without its consequences and she and Elphaba both end up paying a very terrible price.


"Yes! She is my best friend! And I love her!" Glinda declared loudly. The Ozians all wailed in horror while Madam Morrible smirked.

"You see?" she bellowed with a cruel and sadistic pleasure. "Yes! Our Glinda 'the Good' is an ally of the Wicked Witch! And tell me, good people, what do we do with scum like that?!" she gestured for the crowd to answer.

"Execution!" they cried in unison.

"That is right!" Morrible cackled, almost psychotically, then she gestured for the nearby Gale Force soldiers to take Glinda away. They did so without hesitation, dragging the blond off to be hanged, but she did not go down without a fight.

"Let! Go! Of! Me!" she snarled, kicking, clawing, biting and punching at whatever she could reach.

Glinda's open resistance to her execution only made the crowd even crazier than before and it soon became a miracle that the entire country of Oz didn't go deaf from all the screaming and roaring. For a moment, even Madam Morrible looked worried, like she was genuinely afraid that she might've pushed the crowd too far and would be unable to reel them back in. But it didn't take long for their bloodthirsty shouts to infect her as well and soon, she was just as beside herself as the rest of the crowd was.

But while Morrible and the rest continued to hoot and holler, Glinda and the Gale Force soldiers continued their little back-and-forth battle. Glinda lost dismally, being outnumbered four to one. It didn't take long for them to subdue her, throwing her violently to the ground and kicking and beating her as hard as they could. Her blood began to flow freely across the pavement and when the crowd caught the first sight of that little scarlet wave spreading out across the stones, the frenzy became even more volatile and vicious. Glinda could only lie there, helpless and defenseless, as she was brutalized and spat upon by her captors. But then, somehow, against all of that riot and chaos, one voice managed to rise, literally, above all of the others.

"STOP!" one simple, single, short little word was shouted out and the entire crazed mob heard it, falling into an eerily perfect silence at once. All heads turned towards the source of the sound, upward. There, suspended in the air on a broomstick, was the Wicked Witch of the West herself! People began to moan in fear and anger, pointing at her as she shouted down her next command.

"LET HER GO!" Only the Gale Force refused to cower as the green-skinned monster continued to hover over their heads. But their numbers were so small that all the Wicked Witch had to do was swoop down and scare them away from Glinda's body. The Gale Force retreated while the green witch scooped up the once-good witch and flew away faster than she had come.

"Elphie!" Glinda rasped as the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, slung her over her back. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you, you little idiot!" Elphaba snapped, but Glinda knew that behind the harsh words, Elphaba was terrified for her friend's sake.

"Thanks, Elphie," Glinda replied weakly, nuzzling Elphaba's back with her bloody face as they flew off together.

"THERE SHE IS!" Elphaba and Glinda had been headed back to Elphaba's castle in the west when suddenly, the two turned to see the Gale Force men flying after them on their own flying-contraptions. What ensued was an all-out air attack. Elphaba steered the broom with mad expertise as she tried to evade the Gale Force. She swerved this way and that, dipping and diving to evade all their weapons. Glinda hung on for dear life as Elphaba continued to whip them around and through the darkening sky. All around her, she could hear angry shouts and commands from the Gale Force. One, in particular, stood out to her.

"FIRE!" that was the command. Half a second later, Glinda shrieked in agony as she felt something sharp piece her side and sink deep into her body. Suddenly, then, she was falling, falling into darkness, and it felt just like falling off a broom...

Glinda woke with a start and a burning pain assaulted her entire body. Her mouth opened and her eyes bulged in silent pain.

"Glinda!" Glinda's eyes focused to see Elphaba cradling her and cooing softly down at her.

"Elphie?" Glinda croaked feebly. She recoiled at the sound of her voice. Elphaba hushed her and Glinda was forced to lie in Elphaba's green arms silently. After a moment, though, Glinda understood. She had been shot down, but Elphaba had saved her and, somehow, they had managed to escape from the Gale Force's patrollers. At least for the time being. So, they were safe. Even if only for a little...

The next thing Glinda realized was that she was naked, save for a large strip of cloth wrapped around the place where she had been shot.

"Elphie!" Glinda whispered desperately, ignoring her best friend's attempts to hush her. "You must go. We're both smart enough to know that the Gale Force _will_ return. And we are also both smart enough to know that it's over for me..." It pained Glinda to admit this, but both she and Elphaba knew that it was true. That didn't mean Elphaba was able to take the news any better, however, and a sob finally ripped itself from her throat. The sight of Elphaba breaking down scared Glinda like nothing else. She was not anyone's hero, or savior, nor was she strong or brave. On the contrary, she was completely and utterly terrified, and she had no problem admitting it.

"No! Glinda, you'll be ok! I promise!" Elphaba cried desperately, trying to rub some warmth back into Glinda's rapidly cooling body.

"No I won't," Glinda groaned through her pain. "Please, just listen to me. I don't mind. Really. I feel safe, here, in your arms," she pleaded.

"But you can't die on me!" Elphaba snap-sobbed. "I won't let you! If you die and leave me here, I'll kill you!" and Glinda chuckled sadly at that. That was when Elphaba began to convulse, the sobs racking her body. Another chill ran through Glinda's heart. The sight of someone as strong and stoic as Elphaba crying really was unsettling, and Glinda felt in no position to be the strong one right now. She was scared too.

But as the seconds ticked painfully on by, some of Glinda's fear began to fade away. Glinda had never considered death a real threat until right then, and now she was scared. But at the same time, a sense of peace was starting to fill her up. She didn't want to sound like a martyr or a hero, but she couldn't help but think that dying wasn't as bad as she thought it would. Sure, it hurt like Hell, but the pain was starting to become more of a dull, background throb as opposed to sharp and stabbing burn.

But Glinda would still be lying if she said she wasn't scared at all. It was confusing, her own emotions were in such a torrential state that even she had no idea what she was feeling right now. She just knew that, among other things, she couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen next. What might come after she died? What afterlife existed? If any? And it was this fear of the unknown that kept Glinda fighting for her life. She didn't want to die. She really didn't. She wasn't nearly as ready to go as she thought. And as horrible of a person as she had been, she wanted so much to keep on living. She was scared, and she did not want to go, she didn't want to know what happened next, not yet!

But as Glinda continued to lie there, only half aware of her surroundings, she could feel Elphaba's tears dripping down onto her own face. It was then that Glinda's mind suddenly changed again and all concerns for herself temporarily flew out the window. She tried, once again, to suppress her own fears and feelings in order to protect and comfort the only friend and lover that had ever truly mattered to her. Elphaba was the only thing worth worrying about anymore.

"Elphie, you can go now, please. I'll be ok," Glinda's voice had gotten weaker since the last time she spoke and her pitch was high with fear. The idea of dying alone and closing her eyes for the last time with only the uncaring and unforgiving sky looking down at her was terrifying, but she was not going to allow Elphaba to risk her life any longer. But of course, Elphaba wasn't exactly keen on the idea of leaving either.

"I am not going to leave you to die here!" she hissed through her tears. Though Glinda had not been aware of it, Elphaba had just spent the last few minutes chanting desperately under her breath, trying to think up any healing spell that she could. The best she could do was stopping the bleeding. That was good, but Glinda had lost so much blood already that unless Elphaba could find a way to get more into her, it would be a lost cause. Sadly, her options weren't looking very good at the moment. But Elphaba was just as much of a fighter as Glinda and she continued to chant through her tears, trying anything and everything to save the only friend and lover that she had ever had.

"I love you, Elphie," Glinda whispered at last, gently patting the green arms that held her so securely.

"Oh, Glinda, I'm so sorry. This is my fault. If I had gotten us out faster-" Elphaba began mournfully.

"Elphie!" Glinda interrupted as quickly as she could. "Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened. I was the one who chose to defect to your side and it was the Gale Force that did this to me. You have nothing to apologize for, do you understand?"

"I know, but it just should've been me, lying in _your _arms," Elphaba replied sadly. Glinda shook her head fiercely at those words.

"Elphaba Thropp, don't you dare ever say that! You are blameless! And you absolutely are no more or less deserving than I am of this fate!" she said. "Now please, if you want to do some real good, honor my memory, and keep fighting, just like you always have before. You have to-"

Glinda broke off and began to gasp and cough, some of the internal bleeding finally reaching her respiratory track. She wheezed and choked, convulsing in Elphaba's arms. Elphaba let out a cry of despair and agony, tortured by the fact that there was nothing she could do at this point other than sit there and watch Glinda suffer, helpless to even alleviate the pain. Elphaba could only hold Glinda even tighter and closer than before, gritting her teeth as she endured the sound of Glinda's pain. But after a moment, the wheezing subsided, and when Glinda spoke again, her voice was suddenly strong and clear. It was impossibly quiet, but she did not stutter or gasp even once.

"You must hold out, my love," she said, and then she didn't say anything more.

The night was silent, save for the soft whoosh of a cape as its wearer took off, flying on a broom, heading west. To answer the question of where the broomist had taken off from was easy. She had taken off from a small, handmade grave. The headstone was no more than a small rock, but the broomist still managed to leave a small message engraved upon its face:

_In loving memory of Glinda Upland, the Good Witch of the North. She will be forever remembered by a friend who, by knowing her, has been changed for good._

**AN: IDK why I wrote this except for some angsty Gelphie and, of course, the old "dying in your arms trope", and perhaps a subversion where, for once, it's Glinda who dies and not Elphaba. Sorry it's kind of abrupt and really sad.**


End file.
